The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-08-25

triumphantly over harvest fields at
blooming time. This renders It SO
conspicuous, that nothing but sheer
neglect IA species of laziness) will
suffer it to remain till harvest time.
Its rough, black seeds when abundant
among wheat, are injurious to the
I quality and appearance of the manu-
featured -four and the miller who
seeks a reputation for making good
flour, and don't despise cookie is an
anomily that would be a conspicuous
figure in a variety show.
There is another class, a native Of
the same country, and known as spelt
or Georgia cheat. It is the most
difficult Of all the tares to get rid Of.
It is so near the size and heft of wheat,
and in appearance, while growing, SO
nearly like the grain, that it is-nextto
impossible to winnow it at maturity Or
pluck it while growing. The only
way that I can conceive to get rid Of
it is to pick it with the fingers from
the seed grain. It is Of a ,gluey tex
ture and clogs the boulting cloth while
grinding. 1t is unpalatable to stock.
They refuse to browse upon it, 'conse-
quently it will flourish inpasturel lands.
Close akin to- the last named is an
other of the grass family known as
chess or cheat. It is lighter than
wheat and can, most of it, be blown
out with a fan mill. Its stem and
blades while growing have fuzzy APP
p~earance, and by close observation can
be distinguished and pulled out from
the grain. It's name is significant,
and he who suffers it to grow around
MIN will find himself cheated in the
end, as it is extremely prolific and
neither beast or fowl will partake Of It,
if they can find anything else to sub
sist upon. 90
Among the curious and vulgar er-
rors that infest the minds of credulous
and careless observers, may be men
toned the belief of fen farmers, and
some of them good practical ones, that
this troublesome grass is nothing more
than an accidental variety or casual
form of degenerate wheat, produced by
some untoward condition or unpropi-
tious season, or some organic injury,
though it must be admitted, I think,
by the most inveterate defenders of
this faith, that in undergoing the
change, the plant is surprisingly uni
form in it's vagaries in always assum-
ing the exact structure and character
of cheat. s2s'''1
We have a confederate in this con-
troversy on transmutation, one Moses,
the great Jewish legislator, and the
first Of the Old Testament writes. He
was a prophet of the Most High, and
systematically guided and aided in his
writings. He lived forty years in
Egypt the great wheat country Of the
East; and forty years in indian with
Jethro among the herds, and was
familiar, no doubt, with all the grasses;
and forty years in the Wilderness
where he saw many other things be-
sides serpents. His testimony is, after
describing the creation of the earth,
the armament, the water and the light
these are the essentials of plant life)I
and giving them their bounds, that
the herb should yield seed after it's
kind, whose seed IS, IN atseyf:" Not IN.
or capable of being transferred to In
other. An herb is a plant that dies to
the root every year. Ii one herb can
change to any other they all may.
Therefore our crop would be exceed
ingly precarious. Taking into consid-
GRAFTON, this view of the matter we
might possibly SOW tares and reap
good grain, or vice versa. The enemy
that came while the husbandman was
asleep and sowed tares among the clean
grain might have benefited instead of
damaging the man, if the season, &C.,
were propituous. I wheat will change
to cheat under a certain condition,
why does it not, by changing the con-
dltions turn to wheat again; or why
not transform to some other herb as
well a. cheat. Cheat, as the name i'm
plies, is next to worthless. Can We
dare we-accuse God Of cheating us by
changing the staff of life to something
worthless, by means that we cannot
avert. when we have done our part by
producing it with u toll and sweat.
Such is closely allied to inidelity. We
ought to be cautious how we advocate
such theories before the young for fear
of shaking their faith in the goodness
Of God Tbo o11ocofoc of FRO rcno,,to